Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts

More than a first step — it’s the start of a relationship.

You know that an associate degree is the first critical step towards the best career options, and that getting one can be a convenient and affordable way to move ahead. And if that degree is the William Woods University associate degree in liberal arts, it can be even more than that.

William Woods University offers an associate degree that exposes you to the university’s rigorous general education curriculum, with courses that have been formatted at an accelerated pace to get you on track toward a new career and continued education faster.

The associate degree in liberal arts also exposes you to an extraordinary academic community comprised of expert faculty members who will engage you, care about your academic goals, and encourage you to collaborate with your peers for a more in-depth, interactive learning experience. This program can be the beginning of a relationship with some talented and unique mentors, one that will continue to flourish long after you’ve finished your 61 credit hours of study and earned your degree.

Your Liberal Arts degree at work

An associate degree is the first rung in the ladder for many jobs. It can give you the edge in hiring and salary for entry-level positions in the business world. As such, it can help you support yourself as you reach for the next rung — the bachelor's degree. Completing 61 credit hours of prescribed general education fulfills the requirements for admission into any of our degree-completion programs and meets William Woods University’s general education requirements.

A liberal arts education is beneficial for everyone

As a student in our Associate of Arts program, you can expect to be introduced to new ideas and challenge your understanding of the world around you. This solid academic foundation earns you a degree that will benefit you in the workplace. It is also the perfect first step toward a bachelor’s degree. In many areas of study, the associates of arts degree will count as half of your bachelor’s degree requirements.

We are confident that you will gain the necessary skills to think creatively and critically, will use logic to increase your ability to reason, will change your view of social behavior and will embrace culture.

Your core credits will enhance your abilities in the categories below

Communication: Transmit information effectively in written or spoken form.

Mathematics: Solve problems through an analysis of quantitative relationships.

Critical Thinking: Use the principles of logic to develop analytical and reasoning skills.

Ethical Reasoning: Consider ethical problems in terms of competing interests, historical and cultural roots of conflict, and use various models or theories of ethical reasoning to resolve moral dilemmas.

Historical Perspective: think historically, meaning that you will understand both how the present is shaped by the past and how the past informs our understanding of the present.

Fine Arts: Examine the products of human creativity in such endeavors as painting, sculpture, theatre, and music.

Natural Science: Understand the natural world through systematic observation, by analyzing data, and by forming, testing and revising hypotheses.

Social Sciences: Study the behavior of people and employ the principles of science to explain both group and individual behavior.

Diversity: Analyze the traditions and values of a variety of cultures.

But that’s not all you will gain. In addition to the core credits, you select 18 hours of electives enabling you to tailor your associate’s degree to your unique interests.